Hair drying



E. F. SUTER HAIR DRYING July 9,, 1929.

Original Filed July 25, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet R. f5. mr n 26% w w m z W m I y W "5% E. F. SUTER HAIR DRYING July 9, 19 29.

Original Filed July 25, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. [agenef'fwe 7' 3 H A TTORNEYS.

Patented July 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFKIE.

EUGENE FnANgoIs surnn, OF NEW-YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR 'ro EUGENE, 1.1 1)., A, con- POBAIION or NEW YORK. i

HAIR DRYING.

Application filed July 23, 1927, serial No. 207,852. Renewed November 15, 1928.

This invention relates to the drying of hair on a persons head and constitutes a modification of the method and apparatus for hair drying disclosed in my prior application See: rial No. 163,838, filed in the Unlted States.

Patent Qilice on January 26, 1927, and in the Patent Ufice of Great Britain on October 7, 1926, No. 25,005 of 1926'.

As stated in my prio'r patent applications,

the object of the present invention is to remove the surplus liquid from the hair after being shampooed or subjected to treatment with moisture, such as for waving or curling the hair so that it may rapidly regain its normal condition without discomfort to the person being treated and without applying the heating medium in close proximity with the persons scalp.

A further object of the present invention is to enable the heat to be applied to the Wet or moist hair without causing the air in the room in whichthe treatment is taking place tobe drawn directly into the space between the scalp and the appliance used to produce. the

I drying effect. In other words, one of the principal objects of the present invention 18 to apply heat to the Wet or moist air by radiation and conduction and at the same time to withdraw the vapors and moisture-laden air by means of a partial vacuum without allowing air to enter in the space occupied by the hair above the scalp of the person being treated.

The accomplishment of this object not only prevents the air which may contain particles of dust, soot or other objectionable matter from coming in contact with the bear, but it results in the saving of energy used to heat the air which is drawn in to carry the heat by convection to the vicinity of the head being treated.

v The details of a preferred form of my present method and apparatus will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following description and to the accompanylng drawings forming a part thereof, in which Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of one form of easing or helmet in which the heating elements or necessary parts are located. Fig. 2 is'a horizontal sectional view of the apparatus of Fig. 1 taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a modified form of hair drier which is adapted to be placed at diflerent points on the head without involving the use of a helmet or casing covon the line 5-5 of Fig.

type illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5 inclusive, and

1g. 8 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the device as shown in Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates an external casing, the lower end of which is adapted to fit rather closely to the head of the average person being treated. The lower margin of the casing preferably has attached thereto a flexible strip of nonporous and preferably waterproof material as indicated at 2. This may be made of rubberized cloth or other non-porous sheet material and its purpose is to prevent the inflow of a hair between the margin of the casing and the skin-of the person being treated. The upper portion of the casing is somewhat reduced in size as illustrated by the numeral 3 and supports a dome-shaped member 4 containing a heating element-5 which may be of any preferred or suitable type, the same being shown in Fig. l as composed of helical resistance coils supported within the lower end of the dome 4b. The heater 5 is connected with a suitable source of electric current by means of the leads 6; the air to be heated is permitted to enter the dome through suitable openings in the sides thereof, as indicated at 7.

Referring further to Fig. l, the lower part of the casing adjacent the head of the person being treated is arranged as follows: A. curved piece of sheet metal or other suitable material, forming a closure, as indicated at 8, is so shaped as to approximate the form of the head of the average person. Concentric with this is a second piece of sheet material 9 which is spaced from the first sheet 8 a suitable distance to allow free circulation of the air between the two sheets. The sheet material 9 does not extend entirely across the-space between the casing 1 and a passage is provided between its margin and said casing to permit the flow of air from the heating chamber above said sheet to the space between the sheets 8 and 9. The lower sheet 8 is provided with a series of small holes or orifices which may be circular, elongated slots or of other preferred form, as indicated at 10. A portion of the upper partition'of sheet material '9 is cutaway as indicated at 11 and the opening thereby formed communicates with a tube 12, also preferably of sheet material, the end of thetube 12 being attached to the flexible pipe 12-} which communicates with the inlet of a suitable suction device, such as a suction pump or fan.

The path followed by the air is as follows: Air enters through the holes 7 from which it is drawn downward, passing through the heater 15 and into the lower part of the easing 3. The air then SllIlhO-S the curved plate or sheet metal partition 9 and is deflected toward its margin around which it passes into the space between the sheets 8 and 9. The heated air thence passes through the tubes 12 and 13to the pump or fan.

In View of the passage of the air as above described, it will be appreciated that heatis carried by convection to the perforated plate or sheet 8 which by conduction and radiation heats the moisture-laden air and the moist hair immediately below the same upon the head being treated. This causes the air to absorb more moisture and to rapidly vaporize the moisture in the hair. The partial vacuum or suction above the sheet or plate 8 causes the vapors and the moisture-laden air to be drawn through holes 10 after which it is discharged with the air being drawn through the outlet pipe 12 and the flexible tube 13. The current of heated air above the plate 8 continues the heating and evaporating effect.

It will be apparent that the deflector '9 may be omitted and the outlet tube 12 connected directly with the plate or closure 8, in which case the holes 10 in said closure outside of the margin of the entrance 11 of said tube 12, would be omitted and only the air in the space below said closure above the head is subjected to a partial vacuum so that said space receives heat from the heating element 5 by reason of the air being heated within the easing. The heat is then transmitted to the closure 8 by radiation and convection without a partial vacuum being applied to the interior of the casing above the closure'8 except at the entrance of the tube 12. This arrangement reduces the amount of air to be heated to a still greater extent and at the same time permits the moist vapors to be withdrawn.

It will thus be appreciated that an important feature of my invention is to apply heat adjacent the scalp of the person being treated without projecting or introducing air into the space occupied by the moist hair. Thus the heat causes evaporation and permits removal of the moisture without the necessity of continuously applying heated air directly to the scalp. The resulting eflect is obviously a more sanitary action of the heat and a lessening of the effect of dry warm air coming directly into contact with the scalp.

Referring to Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, it will as indicated more clearly in Fig. 5.

be seen that the construction is very similar to that described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2. The outer casing 14 having openings 15, is made somewhat in the shape of a large spoon and is provided with a handle 17. The casing 14 is preferably lined with insulating material as indicated. The heating elements 18 are mounted directly upon the partition or plate 19, provided with air passages 20, the heating coils 18 being carried in any suitable way, such as being wound on a sheet of mica or other suitable insulating material. The partition or plate 19 has tongues 20 preferably pressed therefrom and bent over the ends of the heating elements to hold them in place, The plate 19 thus has formed therein additional air passages which are also designated by the numeral 20. The heating elements 18 are provided with suitable leads which pass through the casing to contactmembers 21, as therein illustrated.

The spoon shaped casing is made of two spaced portions 14 and 22, the lower one of i which is provided with openings as indicated at 23. The air passages 20 in the partition or plate 19 connect with an outlet tube 25 which also communicates with a flexible tube or pipe 13 similar to the one described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2.

From the above description, it will be seen that this operation of the device is very similar to that of the first form described, the principal difference being that instead of being fixed in one position on the head it is moved about from place to place as occasion requires to dry hair at diiterent points on the head of the person being treated.

The modification illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 is very similar to the form of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the difl'erence, however, be- .ing that instead of the heater illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the heaters 26 are given the form illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive. They are mounted directly upon the partition or curved plate 27, the heaters 26 consisting of convolutions of wire wound on insulating material, such as mica, as previously described. This form of the device enables the casing or helmet 28 provided with passages 29 to be made somewhat smaller and lighter and brings the heating elements in somewhat closer proximity to the points where the heat is to be utilized for drying the hair.

Having thus described these forms of my invention, I do not wish to be understood as being limited to the details set forth, for various changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of drying hair which comprises heating a layer of air immediately above the scalp and within the hair to be dried by means of a separate current oiheated air moving in close proximity to, but separated from said layer and the hair, whereby the moisture in the hair is evaporated by conduction and radiation, and then Withdrawing said layer of moisture-laden air by means of a partial vacuum.

2. The method of dryin hair which comprises, heating a layer 0 air immediately above the scalp and within the hair to be dried by establishing a continuous flow of heated air in close proximity to, but separated from, said layer, whereby the moisture in the hair is evaporated by conduction and radiation and simultaneously withdrawing said layer of moisture-laden air and the air of said flow by means of a partial vacuum,

3. 'lhe method of drying. hair which coniprises, heating a layer of relatively quiescent air in'miediately above the scalp and'within the hair by establishing a separate and continuous flow of heated air above a heat coni ducting partition enclosing said quiescent layer, whereby the moisture in the hair is evaporated through radiation and conduction and simultaneously withdrawing the moist vapors of said layer and the air of said flow by means of a partial vacuum applied to said heated air and said layer.

4. Apparatus for drying hair comprising, a casing adapted to be placed upon the human head, heating elements for heating the interior thereof, a heat conductive closure for the bottom of said casing vand adapted to receive heat from said heating elements, and means for producing a partial vacuum below said closure and within the hair on the head being treated.

5. Apparatus for drying hair comprising, a casing adapted to be placed upon the human head, heating elements therein, a heat conductive closure for the bottom of said casing, a deflector spaced from said closure and adapted to guide heated air above said closure and to transmit heat thereto, and means for producing a partial vacuum below said closure and within the hair on the head being" treated,

'6. Apparatus for drying hair comprising, a casing adapted to be placed upon the human head, heating elements therein, a heat con ductive closure for the bottom of said casing, a deflector spaced from said closure and adapted to guide heated air above said closure and to transmit heat thereto, means for producing a partial vacuum below said clo-, sure and within the hair being treated, and means for producing a partial vacuum above said closure to produce a current of heated air above said closure.

7. Apparatus for drying hair comprising, a casing adapted to be placed upon the human head, heating elements therein, a perforated or reticulated heat conductive closure for the bottom of said casing and adapted to guide heated air above said closure'and to transmit heat thereto, and. means for producing a partial vacuum above and below said closure to produce a current of heated air above said closure and to abstract moisture from said hair.

EUGENE FRANQOIS SUTER. 

